Spinning musical toy



y 8, 1956 A. E. WATKINS ETAL 2,744,354

SPINNING MUSICAL TOY Filed NOV. 4, 1952 v 4 INVENTORI): 62 A/excznoerf. Wcz zk/ns. 65 G M d 28 66 eorge ars en a Agem.

United States.

2,744,354- SPINNING MUSICAL roY Alexander E. Watkins, LosAngeles, and George Marsden,

Glendale, Calif. j Application November 4, 1952,.Serial No. 318,546

9 Claims. or. 46-60) Our invention relates to the toy or game art and more particularly to an amusement: or: game device.- known: as

a diabolo; Specifically, the invention is concerned with av diabol'o'of the musical type" capable of producing a I humming sound during its rotation. I I

Diaboloscurrently in use take the form off. a symmetrical double cone, the conical portionsbeinggcoaxialand having their apices meeting to provide a small annular,

central, V-shaped groove for receiving-an operating. cord.

The ends of the cord are tied to handles which are held inthe hands and alternately raised and lowered to cause the cord to spin the diabolo in a selected direction. This operation tests the operatorsskilkbut the true-dexterity of the player is tested when he or she tosses the spinning diabolo into the air, by means of the. cord, and then catches the descending spinning diabolo on. the cord It is atr'object of our inventionzto improvesuch con ventional' diabolos by providing meansincorporated in the structure thereof for producing a humming or like sound when the diabolo'is rotated. A related object'is to provide such a. means which produces a combination of. tones or a chord, the intensity ofthe soundbeing 1 dependent upon and proportional. to the relative speed of the diaboio.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a diabolo in which the sound producing means embodies a p1urality of musical reeds through which air passes,,wl'len the device is rotated, to produce a chord-like tone.

Another objectis'to provide a device, of the:character referred to, in which the sound producingrineans. is:=in- -corporated in the outer ends of the conicallportions-of the diabolo and each-includes passages sofiarranged-as to=produce, inefiect; a centrifugal pump orturbine wihich functionsupon rotation of the diabolo to'draw airacross the treeds tovibratethesame.

Another object is to provide a device of the typeindicated in which each turbine means is embodiedtvin a separate end member secured. to and forming the. outer end of one'of said conical elements, each turbine mem- A. further object is. to provide a. device-. ofthe typespecified which'ishighly practical andeflicient-qinoperation, the. musical means not. interfering with its performance Another objectis to. provide. such a device which structure;

l ce

- a 2' a preferably being. mass" produced as molded plastic elements" and cemented? or: otherwise bonded together.

Further objects will'appear. from the following description and fromz the' drawings,. which isv intended for the purpose ofTillustration only, and in which:

Fig. 1 is aperspectiveview of our improved diabolo and the cord for rotating the same, the devicebeing illustratedias appliedito. use; I

Fig. 21is' an enlarged side elevational view of the diabolo; shown partly in section to illustrate the internal "Fig; 3 is an endviewof the diabolo;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4--4* of Fig; 2;:

Fig.15isa further eularged'fragment'ary sectional view of an endportion. of the diabolo; and v Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional viewof. a diabolo of alternative" construction.

Referring to the drawing: indetail, our improved diabolo 10? includes. a body, comprising a' pair of conical elements 11 an'dvlz; each beingxmolded from plastic material and havingz'a boss i3* at its small or apex end. The bosses l3 have axial bores 14 for receiving a central pin on axle 15: which preferably is cemented in place to retaini the elements 11 and 1 2 with their inner ends in abutting relation. The conical peripheries of the elements 11' and 12 thus provide arr-annular groove 16. The: outer annular ends of the elements 11 and 12' are provided with beads 19, the inner portions of which have shouldered recesses 20.

Adapted to close the outer openv ends of the conical elements'llt and 12 are molded plastic end members 22 andl23? eachhaving a circular plate portion 24 provided withza. centraloperiing 25. As shown in Fig.5, the opening 25 has an enlarged recessproviding an annular shoulder 26. The. plate portion 24 maybe straight, conical or? curved as desired and, as shown in the drawing, is provided with a plurality ofintegral, radially extendiug ribs28 on its inner face. The inner. ends of the ribs 28- ex-tend-inwardly to a point within the confinesof the openihg25: Theouter ends of the ribs 2801? each member 22 and 23' are adapted to'fit within the recess 20 of one ,of the conical elements 11' and 12 and to be cemented in placethcrein soas to permanently join the members 22 and 23" to'the respective elements 11 and 1-2. Inorder-to provide adequate-cementing surface and to effect. greater strength, the. outer ends of the ribs 28 are formed with tapered projections 30 having sloping edges 31which follow the contour of the inner conical surfaces of the elements 11 and 12 and whichare cemented thereto. shown in Fig. 2, the ribs 23 define,v with the elements 11' and 12' and the plate'portions 24, a plurality of airdischargeopenings or jets 32.

Insertable into the opening'25 of each member22 and 2% and against the shoulders 26 are thin circular plates 33,; each having a series of apertures 34. Riveted, or otherwise secured, against aside of each plate 33 are metal. rced'sSS, the free ends of the reeds overlying the apertures 34 I End caps 37 and 38, preferably of conical form, have their peripheral: edges. cemented or otherwise secured in place intheopenings-25 of the members .22 and23, these edges abutting the-peripheral edges of the reed plates33 to retain the latter. in place The conical surfaces of the With the parts. assembled as explainedabove, thediabolo Ill-is prois; relatively light. in weight,, and-one which :lendsitself to economical manufacture, the majority of the parts vided. with two chambers 42. into which air is drawn and from which it is expelled during rotation of the diabolo. J I

The.diabolo Ifl isapplied to use by first placing it. upon a string or cord 50, the ends of which are connected to operating handles 51, the cord being disposed in the groove 16. By lifting the handles 51 and cord 50, the diabolo is raised and suspended on the cord. Now, by alternately raising and lowering each handle 51, the diabolo is rotated, the direction of rotation being determined by the initial movement of the cord. As the rate of movement of the handles is increased, the speed of rotation of the diabolo is likewise increased.

During this rotative movement of the diabolo, the rotating ribs 28 serve as pump vanes or turbine blades to expel air from the chambers 42 radially outwardly through the discharge openings or jets 32. Thus, air is drawn inwardly into the chamber through the inlet openings and apertures 34 to replace the air expelled through the jets 32. In passing through the apertures 34, the incoming air flexes the metal reeds 35 to vibrate the same, thus effecting a musical tone in the nature of a humming sound. Preferably, the reeds are so made and tuned that the humming sound produced is a combination of blended tones or a chord, the intensity of which varies with the speed of rotation of the diabolo and the centrifugal pumping action of the vanes 28.

When the diabolo attains a relatively high rate of speed, the player may quickly move the handles 51 apart to tighten the cord so as to impart an upward thrust to the spinning diabolo which then is propelled upwardly through the air. The operator then catches the descending diabolo on the cord 50 and continues oscillation of the handles to impart further rotative force to the diabolo, after which the diabolo may again be tossed into the air in the usual way. It is thus seen that as the diabolo is revolved. on the cord and in the air, it produces a pleasant humming sound, the intensity of which is proportional to the speed of rotation.

Refem'ng now to Fig. 6, our invention further contemplates a diabolo in which the end portions are molded as one-piece elements. That is to say, each end of the diabolo consists of an end member 6% of circular, platelike form, the member having anintegral, conical, end cap portion 61 provided with air inlet openings 62. As in the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5, the end member 66, which is preferably molded from plastic material, has tapered projections or vanes 63 which are cemented to the inner tapered surface of a conical element 11 or 12. Each end member has an axial, inwardly-directed lug 64, the inner end of which is cored to rovide a tubular portion.

The toy shown in Fig. 6 also includes a thin circular plate 65 which carries the reeds 35, the reeds being vibrated in response to inward flow of air through holes provided for this purpose. Each plate 65 is disposed in a shallow recess 66 formed in the inner face of the end member 66 and is retained in place by the central lug 64 which projects through a central hole in the plate. As shown, the inner extremity of the plastic lug 64 is expanded or headed over against the inner surface of the plate 65 by means of a heated conical-ended tool inserted into the tubular end of the lug.

By the structure illustrated in Fig. 6, the toy is greatly simplified, both from the molding and assembling standpoints, so as to further reduce the cost of the item. As will be apparent, the device of Fig. 6 operates in a manner similar to the toy disclosed in Figs. 1 through 5, the air being drawn into the end chambers through the openings 62 by way of the reed holes, and past the reeds to vibrate the same, the air then being expelled centrifugally outwardly under the action of the radial vanes 63 as the diabolo is rotated, so as to produce the musical sound.

As will be apparent, any suitable air-operated, soundproducing means, such as whistles, may be substituted for the vibratory reeds herein disclosed, within the purview of our invention, the reeds beingillustrated merely to exemplify one such means.

It will be observed from the foregoing that our invention provides a diabolo which is simple in construction,

practical and efficient in performing its intended function. The diabolo is composed of simple components which are adapted for economical manufacture, preferably as molded plastic parts, and which may be quickly assembled without the use of screws, rivets or other fastening means.

As a particular feature of improvement, the diabolo includes sound producing means which functions to produce a pleasing humming sound during rotation. The sound producing means embodies a turbine or pump which functions to draw air across vibratory reeds and to expel the air with a centrifugal pumping action. The flow of air is axially inward and radially outward and thus the diabolo requires no scoops on its periphery for drawing in the air and which would obviously impair free rotation of the diabolo.

We claim as our invention:

1. A diabolo, comprising: a hollow, double conical body providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord; end members for said body and defining therewith air chambers at the ends of the diabolo, each end member having air inlet openings and a recess in its inner face, each end member having integral, substantially radial vanes permanently secured to said body member and spacing the end member from a base portion of the body and defining a plurality of substantially radial air exhaust openings; :1 plate disposed in said recesss and having holes therein; retainer means on each end member engaging a said plate to retain the same in a said recess; and sound-producing means carried by said plate to be operated by air passing through said holes.

2. A diabolo, comprising: a hollow, double conical body providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord; end members for said body and defining therewith air chambers at the ends of the diabolo, each end member having air inlet openings and a recess in its inner face, each end member having substantially radial vanes secured to said body member and spacing the end member from a base portion of the body and defining a plurality of substantially radial air exhaust openings, each end member also having an inwardly directed tubular lug; a plate disposed in said recess and having air passage holes therein; and sound-producing means carried by said plate to be operated by air passing through said holes, said tubular lug extending through a central hole in said plate and having a head engaging the inner surface of the plate to retain the latter seated in said recess.

3. A diabolo, comprising a hollow, double conical body providing a V-shaped groove adapted to receive an operating cord; end members for said body and having an integral, axial, outwardly projecting conical cap portion, said end members defining with the body air chambers at the ends of the diabolo, each end cap portion having air inlet openings and each end member having a recess in its inner face, each end member having substantially radial vanes secured to said body member and spacing the end member from a base portion of the body and defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge openings, each cap portion having an inwardly directed tubular lug; a plate disposed in said recess and having air passage holes therein; and sound producing means carried by said plate to be operated by air passing-through said holes, said tubular lug extending through a central aperture in said plate and having a radially expanded end engaging the inner surface of the plate to retain the latter seated in said recess.

4. A diabolo, comprising: a body having a pair of hollow conical elements disposed with their apices abutting and providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord, said apices having axially aligned tubular bosses; a connecting axle secured within said bosses; end members secured to and substantially closing the base ends of the conical elements and definthroughsaid axial passage; and at least one vibratory musical reed carried by each of said" end members and acrossywhich air entering asaid chamber through a said axial air flow passage is directed, each end member having a plate portion, said vane means consisting of a plurality of substantially radially extending ribs formed integrally with said plate portion at the inner side thereof, said ribs of each member being bonded to a said conical element and spacing said plate portion axially from the base end of a said element, said base end, said plate portion and said ribs together defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge jets.

5. A diabolo, comprising: a body having a pair of hollow conical elements disposed with their apices abutting and providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord, said apices having axially aligned tubular bosses; a connecting axle secured within said bosses; end members secured to and substantially closing the base ends of the conical elements and defining therewith air chambers, each member having a substantially axial air flow passage and a radial air flow passage'communicating with a said chamber, each member having vane means disposed within a said chamber and adapted to centrifugally force air therefrom through said radial passage so as to draw air into said chamber through said axial passage; and at least one vibratory musical reed carried by each of said end members and across which air entering a said chamber through a said axial air flow passage is directed, each base portion having a shouldered recess, each end member having a plate portion, said vane means consisting of a plurality of substantially radially extending ribs formed integrally with said plate portion at the inner side thereof, said ribs of each member being bonded within a said recess and spacing said plate portion axially from the base end of a said element, said base end, said plate portion and said ribs together defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge jets.

6. A diabolo, comprising: a body having a pair of hollow conical elements disposed with their apices abutting and providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord, said apices having axially aligned tubular bosses; a connecting axle secured within said bosses; end members secured to and substantially closing the base ends of the conical elements and defining therewith air chambers, each member having a substantially axial air flow passage and a radial air flow passage communicating with a said chamber, each member having vane means disposed within'a said chamber and adapted to centrifugally force air therefrom through said radial passage so as to draw air into said chamber through said axial passage; and at least one vibratory musical reed carried by each of said end members and across which air entering a said chamber through a said axial air flow passage is directed, each base portion having a shouldered recess, each end member having a plate portion, said vane means consisting of a plurality of substantially radially extending ribs formed integrally with said plate portion at the inner side thereof, said ribs of each member being bonded within a said recess and spacing said plate portion axially from the base end of a said element, said base end, said plate portion and said ribs together defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge jets, each end member having an axial opening having an annular shoulder therein, said reed being carried by a plate disposed in said axial opening against said shoulder, said plate having an aperture across which said vibratory reed extends and through which air enters said chamber.

7. A diabolo, comprising: a body having a pair of hollow conical elements disposedv with. their apices abutting and providing a.V-shaped peripheral groove. adapted: to receive. an operating cord, ,said: apices having axially aligned tubular bosses; a connecting axle secured within said bosses; end memberssecured-to and substantially closing-the base ends of the conical elements and defining therewith air chambers, each member having a substantially axial-air flow passage and aradial air flow passage communicating with a said chamber, each member having vane means disposed withina. said chamber and adapted to centrifugally force air therefrom through said radial passage so as to draw air into said chamber through said axial passage; and at least one vibratory musical reed carried by each of said end members and across which air entering a said chamber through a said axial air flow passage is directed, each base portion having a shouldered recess, each end member having a plate portion, said vane means consisting of a plurality of substantially radially extending ribs formed integrally with said plate portion at the inner side thereof, said ribs of each member being bonded within a said recess and spacing said plate portion axially from the base end of a said element, said base end, said plate portion and said ribs together defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge jets, each end member having an axial opening having an annular shoulder therein, said reed being carried by a plate disposed in said axial opening against said shoulder, said plate having an aperture across which said vibratory reed extends and through which air enters said chamber; and a pair of end caps each having its peripheral edge portion secured within a said axial opening and retaining a said reed plate against said shoulder, each end cap having at least one air inlet opening therein.

8. A diabolo, comprising: a body having a pair of hollow conical elements disposed with their apices abutting and providing a V-shaped peripheral groove adapted to receive an operating cord, said apices having axially aligned tubular bosses; a connecting axle secured within said bosses; end members secured to and substantially closing the base ends of the conical elements and defining therewith air chambers, each member having a substantially axial air flow passage and a radial air flow passage communicating with a said chamber, each member having vane means disposed Within a said chamber and adapted to centrifugally force air therefrom through said radial passage so as to draw air into said chamber through said axial passage; and at least one vibratory musical reed carried by each of said end members and across which air entering a said chamber through a said axial air flow passage is directed, each base portion having a shouldered recess, each end member having a plate portion, said vane means consisting of a plurality of substantially radially extending ribs formed integrally with said plate portion at the inner side thereof, said ribs of each member being bonded within a said recess and spacing said plate portion axially from the base end of a said element, said base end, said plate portion and said ribs together defining a plurality of substantially radial air discharge jets, each end member having an axial opening having an annular shoulder therein, said reed being carried by a plate disposed in said axial opening against shoulder, said plate having an aperture across which said vibratory reed extends and through which air enters said chamber; and a pair of end caps each having its peripheral edge portion secured within a said axial opening and retaining a said reed plate against said shoulder, each end cap having at least one air inlet opening therein, said conical elements, said end members and said end caps being molded plastic components and cemented together.

9. A spinning, musical toy, including: a pair of coaxial members, one of said members having an outwardlydirected cone at its axis, air inlet openings in said cone and an axial recess at the base of said cone, said one member also having a plurality of integral, radially-ex- 7 8 tending vanes on its inner face permanently bonded References Cited inthe file of this patent against the other member and spacing said members UNITED STATES PATENTS axially to provide a central air chamber therebetween,

said vanes defining with said members a plurality of ra- 892,951 July 71 1908 dially-extending air exhaust openings communicating with 5 901,037 PhlhPPart 1908 saidhair chamber; a pate seciureddin said regess and hav- FOREIGN PATENTS mg 0 es erem; an soun -pro ucmg ree means carried by said plate to be vibrated by air entering said cone 232: 5 i and air chamber through said mlet openings, passlng 997,455 France Sept. 12 1951 through said holes and exhausting from the toy through 10 said exhaust openings as the toy is rotated on its axis. 

